Sunday, January 25, 2015

It can be really difficult to get an excavation
project into the field. You have to find funding, gather a group of good
people, buy supplies, anticipate issues that might arise...and if it all comes
together at the right time, the project can go forward.

We are ALMOST there. Because of some complexities of
grant administration, we have an agreement that we will be funded, but the
funding has not yet arrived. So I have used credit cards and have put a bunch
of my own money forward to get the project into the field. We have assurances
that the grants will come through, but this is a bit scary.

We're planning an exciting season--finishing work in
Kurru pyramid 1 by excavating the large third burial chamber; finishing work in
the underground rooms of the funerary temple nearby; and making a big effort to
dig into the town around the city wall down toward the Nile.

For some introduction to the project, you can read my
2013 blog
here: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/fieldwork/currentfieldwork/elkurrusudan/2013sudanblog_ci.

You can also read earlier posts from the 2014 season
on this site.

You may also want to watch a National Geographic/PBS
special called "Rise of the Black Pharaohs" that featured our 2014 work. It's online for US viewers
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVESd1XeNXs. You can buy a DVD
here: http://www.pbs.org/program/rise-black-pharaohs/.

We’ll plan to post 2 or 3 times per week, and this season I’m
hoping to have more guest posts from members of the team. Stay tuned!